After a summer filled with speculation due to Damian Lillard’s desire to be traded to the Miami Heat, the storied NBA franchise has to move on from the dream of having the superstar guard playing alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Lillard is now suiting up for the Milwaukee Bucks after the blockbuster three-team trade recently that sent shockwaves through the league, with the Portland Trail Blazers choosing to make a deal with the Eastern Conference heavyweights and the Phoenix Suns rather than the Heat.
As if that wasn’t a bad enough result for Miami, the team also was unable to acquire defensive-minded guard Jrue Holiday, with the Blazers shipping the veteran to the Boston Celtics, which made Boston arguably the team to beat in the NBA.
Things haven’t been going the Heat’s way this summer, but with the team being as resilient as it is, the focus is now on the upcoming season and moving forward with what they have, which head coach Erik Spoelstra believes is substantial.
According to Five Reasons Sports, Spoelstra believes this year’s Heat squad is even deeper than it was last year, via NBACentral.
“We’re deeper than we were last year.”
– Erik Spoelstra on the Miami Heat
(Via @5ReasonsSports ) pic.twitter.com/EHgpv29kOx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 5, 2023
This is an interesting admission by Spoelstra, especially after he lost starters Gabe Vincent and Max Strus in NBA free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.
Unlike the other title contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Heat didn’t make any big moves this summer despite their efforts to do so.
However, Miami proved last season that they have the will to win no matter who is on the roster and may be able to surprise some people yet again with the roster as currently constructed.
